With the advent of compact disc technology in the sound recording industry, consumers have been provided with yet another form of audio reproduction which is increasingly supplanting conventional stereophonic phonograph records and cassette tapes. The increase in popularity of the compact disc has in turn created a display and storage problem for both the retail operator and the consumer.
More particularly, a consumer may own a large number of compact discs which creates problems of storage as well as retrieval once the disc has been stored.
Because of the unique size of the compact disc case, a user will very often resort to stacking the individual compact disc cases or merely placing them on edge inside of a suitable box or container. This type of storage becomes inconvenient when the user attempts to select a particular compact disc. If the discs are laid side by side on edge, the user must read the fine print indicated upon the edge of the compact disc case. Alternatively, if the compact disc cases are merely stacked one on top of the other, he must manually flip through the entire pile until he identifies the correct case. Both methods are either tedious or inconvenient. Further, loosely stacking the compact disc cases can lead to damage as well as loss of the compact disc.
A compact disc case serves not only to store and protect the compact disc contained therein, but also to display an artistic jacket design particular to the musician or group associated with the recording. The photography and/or graphic design associated with a compact disc case is very often a visually and aesthetically pleasing characteristic of the product. Not only is this artwork visually attractive, but it also serves to identify the compact disc contained therein. Thus, merely stacking the compact disc cases or placing them on end in a container diminishes the aesthetic value of the compact disc case itself. In addition, a retail outlet will benefit with enhanced sales when the jacket design of the compact disc case is attractively displayed.
The prior art contains a number of attempts to resolve these storage and display problems inherent with compact disc cases. U.S. Pat. No. 4,940,147 (Hunt) discloses a compact disc wall rack which displays a number of compact disc cases in a side by side relationship. The cases are secured into the wall rack with velcro loop pile fasteners. U.S. Pat. No. 4,919,287 (Haskett) discloses a compact disc display unit including a series of individual frame members, each of which is adapted to receive a compact disc case. The compact disc cases are retained within the individual frame members by a retention means including a flange projecting from the bottom of each frame. U.S. Pat. No. 4,102,458 (Fors) discloses a display rack which includes a series of rectangular frame members each of which is provided with a support bar extending the length of the frame and situated across the central opening of the frame. A product situated within the frame will pivot against the bar and out of the frame when urged by a user. East German Patent No. DL 0201381 discloses frame members for supporting records including centrally disposed vertical support bar positioned within the frame. The bars function to support a record positioned in the display stand. Additional display apparatus for records, discs and similar objects include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,337,059 (Hoy), 4,290,530 (Wooster), 4,691,826 (Ozeki) and 3,752,545 (Schweizer).